Parallels
by extrasupervery
Summary: AU-Human. Edward deals with illness. Bella deals with Edward.


**Author's Notes: Blah blah blah, Twilight is not mine, I own basically nothing.**

**Thanks to Julis at Twilighted dot net for the Beta.**

**I wanted to put Edward in the vulnerable position and have Bella be the strong one caring for him.**

Parallels

Edward kept nodding off with his head leaning against the cool glass of the car window. This should have alerted Bella that something was wrong. In all the time that they had been together, in the few times that Edward had (begrudgingly) let Bella drive, he was anything but relaxed. Generally, he gripped the armrest so hard that Bella feared he would rip it from the door and hissed instructions through clenched teeth. Tonight, though, he was silent and Bella was just happy to have the peace and quiet.

The next morning Edward was still sleeping next to Bella when she awoke. He was in the habit of falling asleep later than her and waking up earlier than her. He required little sleep and Bella suspected that some nights he just watched her rest.

Bella stretched and yawned. "Are you going to sleep all day or what?" she teased Edward.

"Uggggghhhhh leave me alone," he muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

"Huh?" Bella was a little confused by the impolite reply.

Edward only sneezed in response to this question.

Instinctively, Bella felt his forehead, though Edward had not been sick a day since they'd met. "You're burning up."

"That's funny because I'm freezing." Edward sneezed again and yanked the covers over his head.

Bella tried to remember the appropriate treatment for a fever, mentally evaluating the scant contents of their medicine cabinet. Edward was healthy as a horse (until now) and Bella was clumsy, but rarely sick. She was always tripping or bumping in to something. Tylenol. They definitely had Tylenol.

Bella returned to a cluster of blankets (that somewhere assumedly contained Edward) with two tablets that promised to reduce fever and a glass of water. "Take these," she instructed the linens.

"I'm cold," they coughed back.

Bella almost laughed. Normally Edward could be a bit, well, difficult. He was constantly remained strong and protective- anything but weak. It was strange to see him act so human.

"Come on, this will help," she coaxed him.

A pathetic looking man emerged briefly, swallowed the pills and a bit of water, then re-submerged into the bedspread. Bella, satisfied with her successful mission, grabbed a book and retreated to the living room.

An hour or so later, Edward shuffled out of the bedroom looking like the undead. His hair stuck out in all directions, his skin was pale white, and there were circles under his eyes so dark they looked like bruises. He slowly made his way over to the couch where Bella sat and sunk into it.

"Feeling any better?" she asked.

"No," he frowned and pulled a throw over himself. "Everything hurts." He paused to sneeze twice. "And I'm stuffy."

She felt his forehead again. "Well, your fever is down at least, but I'll need to go to the store to get you something for the congestion."

"No, don't leave me!" Edward descended into a coughing fit. When the hacking finally subsided he wheezed out, "Maybe you better."

Bella grabbed another blanket from the bedroom, covered up the ailing man, and flipped on the television. "I'll be back soon."

Edward drifted in and out of consciousness while some vampire movie played in the background.

Bella returned with half the store: boxes of Kleenex, Theraflu, tea, grape juice (Edward's favorite), cans of vegetable soup (Bella preferred chicken noodle when she was ill, but Edward was a vegetarian), and more Tylenol.

Edward coughed himself awake while Bella was unpacking, then sneezed a couple times for good measure. "Thank goodness you're back," he gasped.

Bella grabbed a box of Kleenex and returned to the living room. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm dying," he moaned and blew his nose, only to start sneezing again.

"I think you have a cold. Maybe the flu."

"Don't people die from the flu?"

"A hundred years ago."

"Oh." He looked a little defeated and Bella felt she should have been kinder to the ailing man.

"Are you hungry?" she asked softly.

"No." He shook his head and (if that was possible) got even paler.

"How about the Theraflu?"

Edward grimaced. "I guess I should, shouldn't I?" His voice sounded painfully hoarse and Bella felt even worse.

"You sound awful."

"I feel awful"

Bella hurried to the kitchen.

Edward reluctantly finished the cup of hot liquid and then fell back in to the sofa. Bella flipped the vampire movie back on and sat down next to him. Edward laid his head on her lap and Bella stroked his unruly hair.

A half an hour or so later, the sneezing and coughing had eased allowing Edward to sleep soundly, his head leaning on Bella's warm lap. She turned of the television, reached for her book, and enjoyed the peace and quiet.


End file.
